Negative ion generators have been extensively used for many years to improve the air environment in a room or in a car. Typically these ion generators require power from household outlets or from car cigarette lighter sockets. This fact makes such units awkward to install because of the wires involved.
Ion generators have also been used as air purifiers by acting as dust collectors. An example of such an application is U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,692 (adopted by reference herein).
During my experiments with ionizers, I found that a good stream of ions can be produced having a very small current passing through the ionizing needles. For instance 1 microampere of current will produce (10−6×6.28×1023) or 6.28×1017 ions per second where 6.28×1023X is Avogadro's number, namely the number of electrons in one Coulomb of charge. One coulomb per second is one ampere. Therefore, the number of ions per second generated by a current of one microampere is 628 followed by 15 zeroes.
Assuming the ionizer is powered by a 9 volt battery and assuming an ideal transformation circuit to generate high voltage, the current drawn from the battery would be inversely proportional to the voltage of the battery. Thus, if the ionizing voltage is 6×103 volts, the battery current drawn from a 9 volt battery would be 1×10−6×(6×103/9)=0.666 milliamps. Even if one assumes a 50% efficient for a practical transformation circuit, a battery current of only be 1.33 milliamps would be required to generate 6.28×10″ ions/sec. Current of this magnitude could be easily accommodated by an ordinary battery, particularly those of the alkaline type.
My present invention provides for such an efficient voltage converter.
It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an ion generator which is portable, battery operated and small enough to be worn as a pendent with a very long battery life.
It is another object of my invention to provide a battery operated, self-contained, ionizing dust collector which can be placed on a desk or on a car dash.
The invention in its general form will first be described, and then its implementation in terms of specific embodiments will be detailed with reference to the drawings following hereafter. These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the principle of the invention, and the manner of its implementation. The invention in its broadest and more specific forms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this Specification.